How Did We Even Get Ourselves into This Mess
by TheUltimateFanGirl7
Summary: Megan is just a normal girl living her life thinking that Miraculous Ladybug is just a TV show. Boy does her opinion on that matter to change that fateful night at her friend's birthday party! Marinette thought her life couldn't get any weirder. Then Alya handed her the box. What was in said box you ask? Only a notebook. A life shattering, world ending notebook.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Hey guys! TheUltimateFanGirl7 here! This is my first time uploading a story to this site! Isn't that exciting? Anyways, I've been told I'm a pretty good writer, but I just do this for fun. Feel free to leave constructive criticism, it always helps. If you think my story is horrible, feel free to share, and make sure to say how you think it could be improved!**

 **So this story's been floating around in my head for a while now, so I finally decided to just write it down. Also, some of the events in this story are based about real events that happened in my life. The names are also based off the real names of the real people they take the place of, however I did change the names, either slightly or drastically, for obvious reasons. At least, I think they're obvious.**

 **Another thing to keep in mind, I have seen quite a bit of controversy about whether Cat's name is Cat Noir or Chat Noir, however I'm from the United States, and we call him Cat Noir, so in this story it's Cat. Also I probably won't veer much from the original story arc, because my mega-fan-ness has left me unwilling to change much. Some of the stores I've read here have been very good, but I don't like when they change the characters too much. I guess I just enjoy the originality. Well, that's all from me... for now ;p. Have fun!**

 **~TheUltimateFanGirl7**

 _I own no part of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir_

7 Months Ago

I was staying at a friend's house that night. It was her birthday, so a few of us had gone over to her house to eat cake and open presents and generally have a good time. We had decided to film a little movie, nothing to huge or amazing, just the six of us. It would be about a demon Snow White who scared people until they cried. Then, she collected their tears and used them as energy to grow stronger. I was looking in my friend's storage room for props and costumes and such while the others conversed in the living room. I could hear them laughing at something. Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted a small jar. It wasn't much, but it gave me an interesting idea for the "movie". What if "Snow" captured her victim's tears in the jar?

Excited, I went out to explain my idea to the others, but they wouldn't listen. I couldn't even get their attention. They were so focused on their own conversation that they didn't notice me. I got so frustrated I ran. I went outside and sank to the ground against the side of the house, before the frustration gave way to despair. My vision blurred as tears began to fall. I felt so alone. This wasn't the first time it had happened. No, it had happened several times before. You would almost think I was used to it by then. But could you ever get used to being silent, and invisible around your friends and family? Would you get used to being a ghost, never able to share your ideas with the world because, to the world, it seemed you weren't really there at all? Yes, this had happened before, but this time was the worst by far. I shuddered as a sob broke forth.

On Another Plane of Existence

Hawkmoth felt a sudden shudder. It ran from the tips of his toes up through his whole body and back again. Someone was in despair. Their pain was so strong! Hawkmoth summoned an akuma. She would be so powerful, he might finally get Cat Noir and Ladybug's miraculouses! He could almost hear Nooroo's voice in the back of his mind, pleading with him not to do it. Not this one. This one was too dangerous, he said. But Hawkmoth shrugged it off. Sure, there was something off about the energies of this girl, but it couldn't be anything too bad, could it? He didn't even notice how the little black akuma left the lair and disappeared in a little twinkle of light. And in my despair, I never noticed it, as it silently flew up to me and landed on the jar in my hands. Only then did I notice, when the voice appeared in my head:

"Hello Ghost."


	2. Chapter 2: The Box

**Hey guys! Me again! I'm trying to upload a new chapter to this story every Saturday (even though I only posted it a week ago), but I was sick Saturday and busy yesterday, so I'm uploading it on Monday.**

 **For those of you who don't know, today is, well it's not exactly a holiday, but today in the US is known as 9/11. I'm not going to go into really any details, I don't really like talking about it, just know that this is the anniversary of the day too many people died and he world once again was given proof that some truly horrible people do (did?) exist. Think of this chapter as a little bit of joy on not the best of days!**

 **Chow for now, TheUltimateFanGirl7**

 _I do NOT own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir_

A couple of weeks after Payten's birthday, I noticed I had been having blackouts, and people had become increasingly afraid of me. They gave me scared looks whenever I passed them in the hall. They whispered among themselves, glancing warily in my direction in class. They, quickly, crossed to the other side of the street when I walked by. It took them four months to think to show me a video of why, and another month after that to figure out that I only transformed when experienced any negative emotions.

My friend and I were hanging out one evening, a week after it was discovered that my emotions triggered my transformations. She joked that maybe I was an akuma, from the popular French children's TV show: Miraculous Ladybug. I laughed about the idea with her, but it got me thinking: what if she was right?

It took me a week and a half, but it was finally ready. I had written aa journal with everything I knew about what had happened to me and what could be done to fix it. Now, I just needed to get it to Ladybug and Cat Noir. I knew that if I was right, then the Miraculous Ladybug TV show must take place in another dimension, because it certainly wasn't real here. I also knew that if I was right, then an akuma had found a way to get here, so there was a chance my notebook could get there, and Ladybug and Cat Noir could get here. I realized I had no idea how to get the notebook to Ladybug and Cat Noir. So, after a _lot_ of contemplation, having no better idea, I climbed the highest point I could in my town and hurled the notebook as hard and as far as I could. Then, I stood there and watched as it vanished from sight in the darkening twilight sky.

Present Day

Miraculous

Alya Cesaire ran down the street towards the growing crowd of reporters. Ladybug and Cat Noir had just finished another epic battle against an akumatized victim. They usually only answered one question, if any, before running off, and Alya wanted to make sure it was _her_ question that they answered. But, as she was running along, she tripped on something in the snow. She stood back up with a frustrated huff, just in time to see Paris' super duo leaving the scene. She sighed and looked at the ground to see what she had tripped on. It was a metal box. It didn't look like it had been there longer than a few hours. It was covered in a light dusting of snow, but the box wasn't buried deep enough to have been there _too_ long. Alya picked it up. The lid was locked in place with a five-digit combination lock. On the box was written: "Get this to Ladybug. Please, this is a matter of utmost urgency!"

Written along the base of the box was AWIKM. Alya tried putting AWIKM in the lock, but was unsuccessful. She shrugged and brought the box with her. She wondered what was in the box that was so secretive and important that the owner begged it to be urgently forwarded to Ladybug and gave a lock with a seriously encrypted clue. Unless of course, AWIKM wasn't a clue. If that was the case, then Alya was at a complete loss for what it meant, and what the code could be. Alya checked the time. The attack had ended just in time for lunch, which meant she had just enough time to eat before getting back to school.

After Lunch

Marinette Dupain-Cheng rushed into class, just as the bell rang signally the beginning of class. As she collapsed into her seat, her best friend, Alya, smirked at her.

"Girl, you have got to get, like, three alarms, just to make sure you leave the house on time." She said with a laugh.

Marinette mumbled a weak excuse under her breath. She knew Alya wouldn't buy it. Marinette just seemed to be tardy by nature. And honestly, even if she could tell Alya the truth about her alter-ego, this time she was just late.

"Hey, Mari!" Alya said suddenly, pulling something out of her bag. "Check this out! I found it after the akuma battle today."

It was a strange metal box, the lid held firmly in place by some sort of combination lock.

"What is it?" She asked her excited friend.

"I'm not sure. Whoever owned it wanted it to get to Ladybug, but even I can't figure out the code to open the box, and I'm Ladybug's biggest fan. Unless, of course, she knows the code already, but then the box's owner might as well as just handed the box to her." Alya said, her excitement fading to almost a sort of confused calculating state."

Marinette studied the box in her friend's hands. Some sort of writing was on the box lid, but the angle and lighting prevented Marinette from being able to read what it said.

"How are you going to get it to Ladybug?" Marinette asked.

I was actually hoping you could." Alya responded. Marinette felt her blood run cold for a moment before Alya continued. "I'm leaving town for a few days, and honestly I probably trust Nino to remember more than I trust you to, but he's already promised to run the Ladyblog for me, and since you're my BFF, I think I can probably trust you with this." She handed the box to Marinette.

"I'll do my best Alya." Marinette said, smiling at her friend.

Alya nodded to her and turned to face the front of the classroom as class officially began. Marinette looked down, briefly, at the box in her hands, before quickly shoving it in her bag and turning her attention to the class taking place around her.


	3. Chapter 3: The Book

**Hey guys! TheUltimateFanGirl7 here, bringing you another chapter in How Did We Even Get Ourselves into This Mess! I have to say, I was truly shocked with how many people have read this story so far. I really wasn't expecting so many. True, in some people's mind it isn't much, but to me it is a lot and I am so thankful for everyone who has been taking the time to read, and hopefully enjoy, my story.**

 **Chow for now, TheUltimateFanGirl7.**

 _Unfortunately_ _, I don't own any part of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, nor will I ever (most likely)_

After school, Marinette raced home. She didn't even stop to say good bye to Alya, who was leaving tomorrow for Germany with her family, where she would be staying for a few days. Marinette wondered what was in the box. Was it even important? What if this was some sort of elaborate trap set for her by Hawkmoth in another twisted attempt to get her miraculous? Marinette ran straight to her room when she got home. She pulled the mysterious box from her bag and began studying it as she sat on her chaise. Tikki flew out from Marinette's purse.

"What do you think it is?" She asked her chosen.

"I have no idea. Marinette responded with a huff. "Do you think it's safe to open?"

"I'm not sure. Probably, but you should be cautious either way. There's something off about that box, but I can't quite seem to put my finger on it."

Marinette laughed. "You don't even have fingers Tikki!"

"I know!" The kwami responded with a giggle.

Sobering, Marinette returned to studying the box. She noticed something written along the base of the box: AWIKM. Marinette traced the letters with her finger.

"I wonder what this means." She mused quietly to herself. She put it into the combination lock, but it didn't work.

"A-W-I-K-M." She said aloud. "AWIKM."

"It almost kinda sounds like akuma." Tikki said. "Try that maybe?"

Marinette tried putting AKUMA into the lock, but that didn't work either. She stared at the letters and chewed on the inside of her cheek. A sudden thought occurred to her.

"Tikki? Marinette asked. "How do you spell kwami?"

Tikki's eyes widened at the question. "You don't really think kwami is the answer, do you? It couldn't be. No one knows about kwamis unless they have one or did in the past."

"I'm not sure Tikki." Marinette responded with a sigh.

"K-W-A-M-I."

Marinette put KWAMI in the lock.

" _There's no way this is going to work! Sure, the letters are right, but there's just no way that kwami is the answer!_ " She thought. As she put in the final letter, the lock clicked and the lid popped open. Marinette exchanged a worried glance with Tikki, before carefully opening the lid. Inside sat a leather-bound notebook. Nothing else. Marinette carefully pulled the notebook from the box. Content when nothing jumped out at her or exploded, she opened to the first page.

" _If you are reading this, then you found a way to open the box. Either you got lucky, or you cheated, or you know something you shouldn't. Or, you are or have been a miraculous holder. If you are not Ladybug, put this down now or forever live in fear!_ "

Marinette stared in shock at what she had just read. Whoever had written the journal and sealed it away clearly knew about kwamis and just as clearly only wanted her, Marinette (or technically Ladybug) to see what was written in the journal. Maybe this was some elaborate prank set up by Cat Noir, but she didn't think so. He couldn't risk accidently telling the world about kwamis, and she doubted Hawkmoth would try something so complicated to get her miraculous. Marinette turned the page, only to find that the rest of the notebook to be sealed off by some sort of device. There was some sort of keypad and a small screen with a blinking cursor. Above it was one word: YOU. Marinette decided that the word was probably supposed to be a clue. Marinette tried typing in YOU, not really expecting it to work, but wanting to make sure. She wasn't surprised when nothing happened. Then she tried LADYBUG. That didn't work, so she tried SUPERHERO and when that failed as well she even tried HERO. She tried everything she could think of to go with the clue, but nothing worked. Finally, in frustration, she typed in her own name: MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG. She didn't expect it to work, how could the author of the journal know her name? Of course, they did know about kwamis, so it was possible. She was surprised when the device gave a happy "Ding!", and popped off with a satisfying click, leaving the rest of the pages to be freely enjoyed. Marinette was shocked, but she turned the page anyway and began to read.

" _Dear Marinette,_

 _Sorry, about all of this. Really, I am. I'm sure you are very confused right now. I know I definitely would be. I'm also sorry about the extra security, but I had to be sure it was you. I couldn't let anyone find out your identity, now could I? You are probably wondering how I know your identity, and how I know about kwamis. I know these things the same way I know that your kwami's name is Tikki. She's red, with black spots (because, duh, ladybug!?) including one on each cheek, more or less, and one in the middle of her forehead (more or less). She has blue eyes and is very kind. She also enjoys chocolate chip cookies. I also know Cat Noir's identity, however I will not at any point write it in this book because if you don't know it already, then I will let you decide when to find out. Revealing your identity is a big decision that has no going back and you must decide when you are ready and in your own time. I also know Cat Noir's kwami is named Plagg, has green eyes, is black, is extremely annoying to his holder, likes getting in trouble, and loves shiny things and more importantly, camembert cheese – feel free to verify these facts with Tikki, I'm not entirely sure if she would know, but she might. My source, right now, is not important. Should we ever meet perhaps I will share it with you._

 _On to more important matters. My name is Megan Bauman. I'm a sophomore at my local high school. I live in the state of Iowa in the US and have lived here my entire life. Seven months ago, my life took a turn for the worst and changed drastically. If you are reading this, then chances are that my prediction is right. If it is, then for seven months now, I have been an akuma._

 _Whenever I feel negative emotions, I transform. My skin and hair drain of color and become a ghostly, blue-gray. I become transparent. I float above the ground and I can pass through solid objects. I have this jar that, when opened, sucks people's voices from them and contains the voices inside itself. The only good thing I've discovered is that once my mission is complete and no one but me can speak in my town and all the surrounding area, my akuma goes dormant. I de-transform and everyone's voices are returned to them until the next time when I jus steal them back._ "

Marinette re-read that first section four times before slowly looking up at Tikki in shock. Tikki was equally shocked, having read it herself over Marinette's shoulder, at what was written. Who was this person that was so spot on (pun NOT intended) with their information about kwamis? And how did they know Ladybug's identity? Then Tikki realized something. The author said they weren't positive, but they thought they may have been akumatized. For seven months now. Over half a year. What's more they made it sound like they weren't sure Ladybug and Cat Noir were real. And they lived in the middle of the United States. That should have been way too far away for Hawkmoth to be able to sense and akumatize.

"Tikki?" Marinette whispered. "What does this mean?"

Tikki focused on Marinette's eyes. They were wide and fearful, and looked to be on the verge on crying.

"I don't know, Marinette. "The little kwami responded dejectedly. "I honestly don't know."


	4. Chapter 4: Leaving

**Yay! Another chapter! This one is a bit shorter, I guess they all have been really, I can try to make them longer, but I don't know if I will. Let me know if you feel strongly either way. Wow, I can't think of anything else to say. That's probably fine. If any of you are like me you don't like the really long author's notes and just want to read the story.**

 **Chow for now, TheUltimateFanGirl7**

 _Yep, still don't own Miraculous, check back later (when nothing will have changed)_

Marinette didn't get much sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning, thinking about the contents of the notebook. She wondered what could be in the rest of the notebook.

Tikki wasn't very much help. She was in nearly as much shock as Marinette was. Needless to say, Marinette wasn't in the best mood when she arrived at school the next morning. Alya had already left Germany earlier that morning, so she headed over to where Nino stood, waiting for Adrien to arrive.

"Hey dudette!" Nino called. Marinette grumbled a response and gave a short wave.

"You okay, Mari?" Nino asked. "Something seems… wrong."

"Nothing!" Marinette shot back at him. "Nothing's wrong with me!"

"Okay, jeese dude! Don't need to be so rude about it!"

"I know, I'm sorry." Marinette sighed. "I just, well, it's just that I got some pretty shocking news last night and didn't get much sleep because of it."

"Oh. Well if you ever need someone to talk to… Well I'm not Alya, but…"

"Thanks, Nino." Marinette said with a smile.

"So, what was this shocking news you got, Marinette?" said a voice from behind her. Marinette jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around, reflexively going into a defensive stance. When she saw the boy, who had come up quietly behind her, she jumped again and practically teleported behind Nino she moved so fast.

"A-Adrien! Come from – you – where?! I mean! Where come from - you?! No, did you – where – come?! No that's not it either…"

Adrien laughed.

"Good morning, Marinette! Morning, Nino!"

"Morning, dude!"

"Mor-morning!"

"Where's Alya? Adrien asked.

"She – uh – she – she…" Marinette stammered.

"She left for Germany with her family early this morning." Nino answered his friend.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling that they needed to make their way to class if they didn't wat to be late. None of the three even noticed that no one had answered Adrien's original question.

For their first class, the teacher gave them free time. Adrien pulled out something that, from the looks of it, must have been for his Chinese lessons, and Nino pulled out a book that had some sort of DJ's turntable on the front cover. Marinette decided to continue reading the journal. She keyed her name into the lock inside the journal. She had returned it the previous night in case someone else somehow got a hold of the journal. Now, she removed it again and slipped it into her bag, before opening the journal to wear se had left off.

" _I know that to truly be rid of the akuma, you will have to battle me while I am transformed and purify the akuma. You might think it would be easier if the jar was just broken when the akuma was dormant, but believe me I've tried. The akuma doesn't appear and the jar repairs itself almost instantly._

 _Another problem. I don't know how to get to you, or get you to me, and whoever back home. It's not as simple as just getting to Paris or Iowa. You see, where I live, none of your world is real. It's all just a figment of someone's imagination that they shared with the rest of the world. This means that if I truly am an akuma, then we live in different dimensions, different universes, different planes of existence, however you want to think of it. I don't know how the akuma got here, or how this journal got to you, but they did, and that means that there is a way to travel between our two worlds, I just don't know what it is as of yet. Perhaps Tikki and Plagg would know._

 _However, I caution you. If you do decide to try and help, you may need to reveal your identity to Cat Noir. People here, if they have heard of you,_ will _most likely know your identities. I fear that, one way or another, by the time this is over, you will know each other's identities._ "

Unfortunately, before Marinette could read any further (and fry her brain even more than she already had), there was an explosion and the sound of people screaming outside. Marinette made an excuse and rushed out of the classroom to find a place to transform.

"What are you going to do about the journal?" Tikki asked her. "Are you going to tell Cat Noir?"

"I don't know yet, Tikki. I'll have to think about it during the battle Tikki! Spots on!"

After she transformer, Marinette, now Ladybug, quickly swung to the akuma using her magic yo-yo.

(Sorry, I'm not going to show the fight seen, or name the akuma, or his powers, or his costume, because this particular one really has very little to do with the story and I'd rather not spend ages describing an akuma and battle that have little to do with the story arc.)

After Ladybug successfully beat the akuma – a man who had been fired from his job as a chef when his boss found out he had been modifying the recipes – using this time's random-object-of-the-day (it was a paperclip, just FYI, but that's not really important right now, or ever again really), she pulled Cat Noir aside and whispered to him:

"Eiffel Tower. Tonight. 8 o'clock sharp. Don't be late."

Then she swung away before he could respond. She was going to tell him. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be, and she didn't really want to think about it, but she felt like she had an obligation as a hero to help this Megan person, and if she needed to reveal her identity to Cat Noir to do it, then so be it. She would just have to deal with the consequences later.

Later that Evening

7:45. It was time to go. Tikki had been surprisingly quiet the rest of the day after the battle. She had accepted Marinette's decision to reveal her identity to Cat Noir without protest. On some level, she was looking forward to seeing Plagg again after so long, and this girl clearly needed help. Unless this was all a trap. Tikki knew that Marinette had read more of the journal during class, but Tikki hadn't been able to because she had to remain hidden. When Marinette had gotten home from school, she left the notebook, locked, in her bag, so Tikki wasn't able to read it then, either; and Marinette hadn't spoken about what it said, other than she needed to reveal her identity to Cat Noir.

Marinette wasn't sure when she would be coming home. She knew, one way or another, with Cat Noir or without, she was going to find a way to Megan. And she wasn't returning until the akuma had been purified. Knowing this, Marinette packed a backpack with a few small items: The class photo with Juleka (taken after the Reflekta incident), a photo of her parents, some pictures with a few of her friends, a change of clothes, her hairbrush, etc. She also placed the journal back in its box and packed that. When everything was ready, she stood, shouldering her bag, and looked around her room, one last time. As an afterthought (so it didn't look like she had run away), she threw a couple things on the floor and knocked over her mannequin. Then, she backed up everything on her phone to her computer and transferred the files to a flash drive which she packed in her diary box (she had also packed this so no one would read it and find out she was Ladybug while she was away). Then she dropped her phone on the floor, took a deep breath, and stomped on it. Afterwards, she transformed into Ladybug, looked around her room one last time (for real this time ;p), and left through the trapdoor to her balcony, not even bothering to close it behind her.

 **I wasn't really sure about how I described her running away and making a mess of her room. I wanted it to make her seem like she was taken, but I wasn't really sure what to say. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Learning

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't post sooner, but I literally just got home and I left the house at 5:45 this morning. But technically it is still Saturday, at least where I am, for about another hour and a half. Therefore I am still updating on time. Well I can't think of anything else to say.**

 **Chow fr now, TheUltimateFanGirl7**

 _Stay tuned for more information on how I still don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir_

Cat Noir had already been at the Eiffel Tower for twenty minutes when Ladybug arrived. He reveled in every minute he got to spend with her. He hadn't been able to wait any longer, so he had decided to come early. He was leaning forward, arms resting on the railing of the viewing platform when she got there. A soft _thump_ behind him alerted him to her arrival. His heightened hearing heard her as she walked over to join him at the railing. Without evening turning around, her murmured a quiet:

"Good evening, M'Lady."

"Hey kitty." She responded with a sigh. "What, no excessive flirting? No roses or candles or confession of unrequited love?"

Cat Noir gave a small smile at her teasing. In truth, something in his Lady's voice earlier that day when she requested the meeting (or more accurately commanded it), and again now that they were here, made him take the situation serious. In all honesty, probably even more serious than akuma attacks.

"Not tonight M'Lady." He said quietly. "What is it you wanted to talk about? I know you didn't "request" this meeting just to see me. It's not like you."

She smiled at him, clearly pleased with how seriously he was handling the situation. Then he noticed the backpack she carried with her.

"What's that, LB?" He asked her.

Her eyes skipped to the strap on her shoulder and back to the horizon. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Cat," She whispered, "I'm leaving."

She smiled slightly, almost wistfully even, at the shocked, near hurt expression on his face then continued before he could ask why.

"Not forever. Just, for a while. I'm not sure when I'll get back, or how long I'll be gone."

"Why?" he asked, his voice barely above a low whisper. "Why are you leaving?"

She sighed.

"I found an akuma, and I need to purify it. The problem is the victim isn't exactly nearby. I… well I was kinda hoping that you would come with me."

He stared at her. She looked away from his gaze, sadly.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I understa- "

He cut her off with a hug and whispered in her ear,

"Of course, I'll come with you Bugaboo! You're my partner! I'd never leave you to face an akuma alone!"

She smiled in relief.

"Understand that I don't know how long we'll be gone, and no one can know why we left!" She warned him. He nodded to her.

"There is… one more thing before we can leave, Cat…" She trailed off glancing at her feet.

"What's that My Lady?" He asked her. She looked nervous, and kept fidgeting with her hands and shifting her weight from foot to foot, refusing to meet his eye. He had never seen her this way before. It was different then the calm, confident Ladybug he was used to. He liked this side of her.

After nearly a minute, she took a deep breath and appeared to compose herself before answering.

"We have to revel our identities to each other."

Her answer startled him. Ladybug was always so strict about keeping their identities secret, even from each other, and here she was suggesting that the reveal themselves.

"I mean, if you don't want to, I guess that's okay." She was talking again. "The journal said it was a good idea, but we don't actually have to, I mean- "

He smiled her rambling was kind of cute. It reminded him of someone. He cut her off again.

"My Lady, of course! I've wanted this for a long time! Wait… journal?"

She gave a dismissive "tell-you-later" wave of her hand and said,

"Thanks, kitty."

Then she steeled herself and muttered something under her breath. In a flash of blinding, sparkly, pink light she de-transformed. Into Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He stared at her in surprise. Marinette was Ladybug?! She noticed him staring at her and bit her lip.

"You're not disappointed, are you? That it's me, I mean."

He pulled in for a hug.

"I could never be disappointed because of you princess." Then he murmured his de-transformation phrase. In a flash of light, it was Adrien hugging Marinette, in the place of Cat Noir. Adrien pulled from the hug, holding her at arm's length so she could see his face.

"A-Adrien?!"

He laughed.

"Yup. You're not upset, are you M'Lady?"

She leaned forward and kissed on the cheek before pulling him into another hug.

"Never, Chaton."

He smiled and pulled away before quietly whispering to her:

"You missed, My Lady."

Then he pulled her in and kissed her. A real, long kiss, full on the lips. Her lips parted in surprise before she pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. After several minutes, they pulled apart, panting. Adrien smiled down at Marinette, who blushed and looked away, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I've wanted to do that for a while now, My Lady." He told her. He thought he heard her murmur a quiet "me too" before he pulled her in for another kiss. Unfortunately, their moment was ruined by a loud cough beside them.

"Plagg! Way to ruin their moment!" Scolded something small and red. It looked an awful lot like a kwami.

"What, Tikki?! They were being all gross!" He complained.

"You've ruined their moment!"

"It's fine Tikki." Marinette said. She turned to Adrien. "This is my kwami, Tikki."

"Nice to meet you, Tikki!" He said.

"Nice to meet you, too, Adrien!" She replied with a small giggle.

"And this is Plagg, Marinette." He said with an annoyed huff.

"Nice to meet you, Plagg!" She said, cheerfully.

"Yeah, yeah, sure nice to meet you, too. Now, Adrien, WHERE'S MY CHEESE!?"

Adrien sighed and tossed a piece of the stinky camembert to Plagg. Marinette smiled slightly as she watched the kwami eat the cheese. Adrien put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rest her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly as they watched Plagg savor his cheese (which, yes, I know Plagg doesn't usually eat slowly, but he is right now).

Adrien was content to stay in that moment forever, but, sadly, all too soon, Marinette pulled away.

"We need to discuss the akuma, kitty." She said.

"Right." He replied, trying not to appear too disappointed that she had pulled away. Marinette set her bag down and crouched to dig through and pull something out. It was a box. She put a combination into the lock and pulled out a leather-bound notebook.

"The journal." She said waving it in the air before putting the box back into her bag and standing up. She opened the notebook to the second page and keyed something into yet another lock. She noticed him watching her weirdly.

"The akuma knows my identity." His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off before he could, saying,

"I don't think Hawkmoth knows, or he probably would have used the information by now. She was akumatized seven months ago, she wrote this journal to plead for our help and used extra security so that no one but me could access it."

"His mouth hung open as he processed what she had just said.

"Wait… did you say seven… _months_?!"

"Yes, seven months. We haven't come across her yet for two reasons, from what I can tell. One, she lives in the middle of the United States. And two…" Marinette took a deep breath before continuing. "And two, she lives in another dimension."

 **So... The kiss? I've never actually kissed a guy, so everything I know about kisses I actually got from reading stories on this page, and most of those go into more detail than i think my rating will allow. I apologize in advance if the kiss scenes aren't frequent enough, or detailed enough, or wrong, or whatever. I personally have no experience and intend to keep my "k" rating intact. Also, I tend to be very forgetful or caught up in something else and might not think to add more kisses in the future. I'll try, but I guess we'll see. They'll have to fit into the story somehow, and I don't know how the story is going to turn out until I write it.**

 **See you next week (sorta)!**

 **~TheUltimateFanGirl7**


	6. Chapter 6: Lesson

**Hey everyone. This is TheUltimateFangirl7. I'm finally updating this story. And I'm only a week late! I'm really sorry, I've just been very busy lately. School has finally picked up and I have a lot of homework, plus my school is doing a bunch of standardized testing required by the state right now and that's been really stressful. And to top it all off my Saturdays have been busy with marching band competitions and I haven't been getting much sleep due to my bronchitis. Luckily, today's competition was postponed due to weather and I was finally able to finishing writing chapter 6 and get it posted. Again, I'm really sorry. I'm not sure I'll be on time next weekend either, but I will certainly try.**

 **Chow for now, TheUltimateFanGirl7**

Adrien was staring at her. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. He looked shocked and dumbfounded. Any other time she would have giggled at the stupid look on his face, but right now the situation seemed serious. She watched as he silently opened and closed is mouth a few times before finally managing to choke out,

"A – another… dimension?!"

"Yeah," she answered his question with a small smile, "another dimension. Or maybe you'd rather call another universe? Or maybe another plane of existence?"

"H – h – how?! What?!" He managed.

"I'm… not entirely sure… Everything I know I learned by reading this journal." She said as she handed it to him. "Remember at school today when I said received some socking news? Yeah well…" She gestured to the notebook in his hands.

"He slowly opened it, still staring at her, then tore his gaze from her to actually read the contents. She watched him read the first couple of pages, tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed across her chest. He reached the page she had bookmarked and glanced back up at her.

"Wow." He breathed.

"Yeah." She replied.

It was at this point that Tikki and Plagg decided to rejoin the conversation.

"Did you say… another dimension?!" Tikki asked warily. She looked scared, her eyes had grown wide and her usually rosy-red skin had paled to a pretty pink color.

"Yeah…" Marinette responded hesitantly.

"That's not good! Plagg that's not good!" Tikki yelled turning to the cat kwami hovering next to her and virtually shaking the life out of him.

"Tikki calm down" Plagg said. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Uh… guys?" Adrien said, interrupting the two kwamis, one in the middle of hyperventilating and freaking out and the other calmly patting his companion on the back and whispering to her soothingly in attempt to calm her down. "Mind cluing us in on what's happening?"

"Plagg glanced at Tikki. Deciding she was in no shape to be explaining anything right now, even if she was better at this sort of thing, he answered his chosen himself, shocking Adrien with how serious he was.

"So you know how are over 5 millennium (that's 5,000 years, just FYI) years old? Well, about… I'd say 43,000 years ago, give or take a century or two, we discovered that Tikki and I, when our powers were combined properly, had the ability to access this sort of gateway. This gateway led to another place, where everything was the same, and yet different at the same time. We came to the conclusion that this… place, was another dimension. We managed to find a way for the other kwamis to be able to open the gateway themselves, but it was very difficult for them taxed them greatly, leaving them exhausted and greatly weakened for a few days. Unfortunately, after a few centuries, we found that this other dimension was just to different. It was to hostile, to dangerous. Plus, magic didn't exist there. It was draining on a kwami to stay there for too long. And the more times we visited, the more chances here were for the two worlds to discover each other, and we didn't want that to happen. We were never certain what would happen if they did, and we'd really rather not find out. So, we decided to stop visiting and to close the gateway permanently. And we did. We forbade any future visits, we swore never to tell anyone, and to never speak of it again. Even the current Great Guardian doesn't know. The fact that an akuma is in this other dimension means either Hawkmoth doesn't know what he did or he found out about the other dimension, and I highly doubt that his kwami told him. Either way, he broke the ancient code. And to help this victim, we would have to as well."

When he finished speaking, Marinette and Adrien just stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, in shock.

Plagg smirked at them, "Close your mouths. You'll catch flies."

At this point, Tikki had calmed down and recovered enough to actually participate in the conversation.

"Plagg!" She scolded, smacking him on the back of his head. "This is serious! And as much as I hate to say it, we're going to have to break the code. We have a duty to purify the akuma."

This statement was enough to snap Marinette out of her shock. Tikki hated to break any rules. Ancient codes of secrecy and magic? Forget it.

"Tkki's right." She said with an air of finality. "This girl needs help. We're just going to process this when this is all over, after the akuma's been purified, after we get back, and after the gateway's been sealed again."

"Tikki smiled at her chosen, practically glowing with pride.

"So how do we get to this other dimension?" Adrien asks, finally emerging completely from shock himself.

"Oh, that's easy." Plagg smirked. "Assuming Tikki and I can remember what to do."

"Just relax." Tikki said, flying over to sit on her chosen's shoulder. "All you need to do is transform and relax, then let Plagg and I guide you from there."

"Guide us? How?" asked Marinette.

"You're just going to have to trust us. We've sworn not to do this unless it's an emergency, so don't worry about. And besides, we need your consent, so it's not like we can do it whenever." Tikki answered her.

"O – okay." Marinette responded nervously. "Ready, Adrien?"

"Plagg! Claws out!" Marinette reverted her eyes has a blinding green light enveloped her shy, gentle crush, turning him into her cocky, flirtatious partner. He smiled at her.

"Just waiting for you, M'Lady."

She smiled back before shouting out, "Tikki! Spots on!" And one transformation sequence later, she was Ladybug.

"Okay… now what?" She asked.

"I guess we do what Tikki said and relax?" he answered her wit a shrug. Marinette nodded, taking a deep breath. She could feel Tikki urging her to just relax and let her guard down. So, she did. And as she did she felt a surge of… something run through her body and she shuddered. And then she started moving, swinging up towards the very peak of the Eiffel Tower. And she wasn't doing anything. She started to panic as her body continued to move of its own accord.

"Marinette, you need to relax. Everything's fine." It was her own voice. Her own voice was telling her to calm down and she wasn't in control of it. "It's okay, Marinette. It's just me, Tikki. Marinette, you need to calm down before my control on your body is broken. Please! Everything's okay, I promise."

" _Tikki?_ " Marinette thought. " _Okay, Tikki. Okay. I'll calm down._ "

Knowing it was Tikki who had control of her body allowed Marinette to relax. Before too much longer, she reached the top of the tower. Cat Noir was already there, leaning against a pole like he had no cares in the world.

"Plagg?" Marinette's body asked. He gave a slight nod and asked,

"Tikki?" Marinette felt her head nod back at him.

"Ready to go, Plagg?" She asked.

"Of course, Tikka. Do you remember what to do?" Marinette's body rolled its eyes at the nickname before answering the cat boy.

"I could never forget. Do _you_ remember?"

He smirked in response, and said, "Do you doubt me, Tikka? I didn't even go after a cheese shop the minute I had control!"

"True." She smiled. Then she closed her eyes in concentration and held her arm out straight in front of her, hand out, fingers spread, waiting for him. Ans she didn't have wit long. After only a moment, she felt his hand press against her own. Tikki reached deep into the very core of her soul, into the heart of her powers. She felt the magic flow up through her in a rush and spiral around outstretched arm until it joined with Plagg's magic, dancing around their joined hands, crackling and sparking in the air. Then she released her hold on Marinette.

When Marinette opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of what must have been the gateway. A giant spiraling vortex, colored with blends of blue and purple, now throbbed and pulsed, sending out surges of energy between her and her partner. Finding her voice, she managed to say,

"So… do we just … walk into it?" She had to yell to be heard over the roar of the gateway.

Cat Noir stepped around to stand next to her.

"I guess." He held his hand out to her. "Shall we then, My Lady?" She smiled before taking his hand in her own.

"We shall." Then, turning to the gateway, she took a deep breath. And together, they stepped into the vortex.


End file.
